David, A Leader in Purity
Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” This statement defines the real essence of leadership. Great leaders are not defined by past accomplishments of future endeavors. Great leaders are distinctly remembered for their integrity of heart. For example, David was a great military leader. His leadership accomplishments range from the defeat of Goliath to the conquering of the enemy nations. Yet, when we think of King David it is not those accomplishments that stand out. David is best remembered for that one statement God made concerning him: “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will” (Acts 13:22). David will forever be remembered as a leader after God’s own heart. What made David a leader in purity? And, what characteristics can we possess to be leaders in purity?
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My Most Contrary Convert - Ben Bailey
Who is the one person you must work on most with the Gospel? Who would you, more than anybody else, like to see conform to the image of Christ? If your answer is anyone other than self, you are not looking in the right direction.
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Everything Makes Sense with God - Ben Bailey
How do we make sense of this short, temporary existence on this terrestrial ball? What does it all matter anyway? We are only going to be here a while, and in a few years it will all be over, right?
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This One Thing I Do - Ben Bailey
I recently came across a quote that at first struck me as kind of odd and maybe even selfish, but the more I thought about it the more I realized there was an important gem of wisdom in it that needs to be lived.
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Heaven, Our Forever Home - Ben Bailey
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). With these words the Hebrews writer reminds us of our forever home—Heaven. Unlike the Israelites who were heading toward the physical home of Canaan, Christians are journeying toward our final destination of Heaven. As we think about that forever home each of us are probably made to ask, “What will Heaven really be like?” Notice how the Bible describes the beauty of Heaven.
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I Hate Lukewarm Coffee - Ben Bailey
I lost track of time, and my coffee got cold. Without even thinking about it, I took a big swig of what I expected to be hot coffee, and it was terribly lukewarm.
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Are New Testament Miracles Occurring Today? - Ben Bailey
Did you know a lot of people today still put the focus of Jesus and Christianity in that same light—They just want to see a miracle. What does the Bible teach about New Testament Miracles occurring today?
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What Does the Lord Teach About Our Speech? - Ben Bailey
How should a Christian talk? What kind of things should or should not come out of a Christian’s mouth?
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Are You Influential? - Ben Bailey
An old Korean Proverb illustrates the power of one’s influence when it says, “Power lasts ten years, influence not more than a hundred.” Sometimes we may think, “Am I influencing anyone? The question asked is really a faulty one. It’s not IF we are influencing anyone, but HOW are we influencing them. All of us are an influence on others either for good, bad, or indifference. What type of influence should a Christian possess? Let’s notice what God says.
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15 Actions for Daily Christian Living - Ben Bailey
Have you ever wondered what you can be doing for the Lord daily. Daily Christianity is what separates followers of Christ from those who Jesus claim the name of Jesus (Mt. 7:21; Luke 9:23). Following are 15 Actions that the Christian can/should be involved in every day.
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Stand Up For Truth! - Ben Bailey
In a world that want to accept everyone and everything regardless of moral consequences, it is easy for Christians to be tempted to bow at the altar of compromise. Instead of standing up for the Lord and His Word, too often we give in to “go along to get along” mentality. All of us must admit that times of conflict and confrontation are not at always enjoyable. Yet, when we compromise the truth or remain silent on biblical issues, are we doing anyone a favor? Let’s look at a few biblical examples where it would have been easier to compromise and determine who that would have ultimately helped.
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Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me! - Ben Bailey
The wise King Solomon said, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Prov. 31:30). In a world where men and women are often judged by their physical beauty, it can be so easy to overlook the real beauty of life. Both men and women are attractive in God’s eyes based on what they are, not how they look physically. Notice these qualities of inner beauty that God desires in His children.
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The Messages of Habakkuk - Ben Bailey
One of the key concepts in the book of Habakkuk is God’s use of the nations. In the Book of Habakkuk, we are shown how God would use the Chaldeans to subdue and punish His wayward people. The concept of God using the nations to teach His people a lesson is found throughout the Bible.
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What Must I do to be Saved? (Part 5) - Ben Bailey
A final step in the plan of salvation that is overlooked by many is the act of baptism. While many in our religious world would agree that a person needs to believe, repent, and confess Jesus as Lord to be saved, they would not teach that a person must be baptized to be saved. Let’s notice what the Bible teaches us about the necessity of being baptized to be saved.
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What Must I do to be Saved? {Part 4} - Ben Bailey
The fourth step in God’s plan of salvation is confession. The Apostle Paul reminded the Roman Christians that “with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:10). From this text it is evident that confession is an important part of the plan of salvation. Let’s take just a moment to see exactly what the Bible teaches about confession.
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What Must I do to be Saved? {Part 3} - Ben Bailey
What Must I do to be Saved? {Part 3}
The third step in God’s plan of salvation is repentance. In Luke 13:3 Jesus expressed the necessity of repentance when He said, “Unless you repent you shall all likewise perish.” Peter preached to the Jews that they needed to repent and be converted so that their sins might be blotted out (Acts 3:19). Since repentance is such an important step in the plan of salvation, let’s examine what the Bible teaches about repentance.
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What Must I do to be Saved? [Part 2] - Ben Bailey
There is nothing more important in the entire world than our eternal soul. Jesus said, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul” (Mark 8:36-37). God has made it possible for all people to be saved and live the best life (1 Timothy 2:4, John 10:10). Since this is the case we must ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?” In our last post, we noticed the first step in God’s plan of salvation was to hear/listen to God’s Word. Today, let’s look at the second step in God’s plan of salvation.
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What Must I do to Be Saved? - Part 1 - Ben Bailey
he Bible says that our Lord and Savior came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). If we are honest with ourselves, we realize that Jesus came to seek and save every one of us. God says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Scripture teaches us that our sins separate us from Him and cause spiritual death (Isa. 59:1-2, Rom. 6:23). The good news is that God does not want anyone to be lost. He wants all people to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4)
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"Slow to Anger" - Ben Bailey
A while back I did a topical study of the Book of Proverbs that I thought was a very helpful way to study this Book. Here is the first lesson in that series on Anger.
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"Prophecy as proof of inspiration" - Ben Bailey
In our world, the Bible is often laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed. In our schools, children are taught that evolution is correct and Genesis 1:1 is only a myth. Even among many preachers, the validity and authenticity of the Bible is in doubt. However, the Bible claims that it is fully inspired. Paul said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16).
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